


Voices Below and Beside

by 8_Navy_Roses



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 02:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11545266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8_Navy_Roses/pseuds/8_Navy_Roses
Summary: When sirens end up being the latest thing the fearful Captain Linebeck is facing, a certain golden spirit ends up having to save his hide from... her own face?





	Voices Below and Beside

 

Captain Linebeck was sitting out on the open deck. 

 

It wasn’t a bad night for it. In fact, it was a very pleasant night. The waves gently rocked the ship side to side. The sky was clear, letting the stars shine brightly over the calm water. The ship itself was docked a little bit away from an island. A glorified term, however. The island barely stretched 20 feet with a single palm tree on the single hill and a single stone tablet sat next to it, the words that once rested upon the stone scratched out with claw marks. 

 

However, Captain Linebeck was paying none of his attention to the calm night. Instead, he was hunched over the four pieces of the King Ocean’s map, mumbling aloud curses as he attempted to retrace their route and figure out exactly where they got lost. 

 

“Bloody fairy. Giving me directions and then denying any of it after she gets us lost in the middle of nowhere and cause us to dock on this no good, hunk of rock.” Linebeck muttered, throwing in a few more kid-unfriendly words after the fact. Linebeck knew it was her. He would recognize that squeaky voice even if he didn’t see her. 

 

Yet the small and golden fairy still denied any involvement, saying she never asked Linebeck if he was navigating all right, nor give him new directions. 

 

Linebeck shook his head, placing his hands on his lower back and stretching up, working out the kinks in it after sitting hunched over for so long. After feeling a few sound cracks, he gave a furtive glance behind him. Once sure there were no glowing orbs of blue or yellow, Linebeck slid a small flask out of a pocket sewn on the inside of his jacket. He then took a quick swig, capping back close the flask and placing it back into his inner pocket. 

 

The captain didn’t really drink anymore around the kid… outside a few sips after encountering a particularly hellish ocean beast to sooth his shot nerves. 

 

Link had been put to bed, however, and Linebeck needed something for the pounding in his head after staring at the old maps in low light. 

 

“Are you still out here, working on those maps?” 

 

Linebeck scowled, turning his back firmly to the door. “Well someone has to find out where the hell you sent us, and the kid needs to save his strength for battles- Treasure hunting. I was going to say treasure hunting.” No way was he going to admit to the ball of puff that he started getting a soft spot for the kid. 

 

“I never did apologize for that, did I?” 

 

This wasn’t the biting comment Linebeck was expecting, but hey, he wasn’t going to comment on that. Though he was wondering why Ciela’s golden glow wasn't lighting up the area yet. He shrugged it off. “No, you haven’t, Sparkles. You’ve been denying it in true puffball fashion.” 

 

“Well, sorry for getting us lost. Guess that’ll show me for trying to navigate as a puny little puffball.” 

 

“For once, we agree on something. A goddesses damn miracle I’ll say.” Linebeck snorted. 

 

He rubbed at his eyes, bringing out the flask again, not caring what Ciela would say. In fact, there was something bothering him about her voice, or rather, Ciela’s temperament. Normally by this time, she would be threatening to throw him off the ship and him replying that he would turn her into fish bait before she would even get the chance to do so. 

 

Regardless, Linebeck hoped the drink would get rid of that weird feeling, whether by causing him to forget it, or finally tip Ciela back into her old ways. 

 

A giggle ran out, making Linebeck blanch. Sparkles didn’t  _ giggle _ at him. Especially when he was drinking. “All too true.” A few moments of silence, in which Linebeck starting eyeing the flask he was holding. “But hey, I don’t think my blunder was a complete lost. I had found something. On the other side of the island behind the hill that conveniently hides it. It might be a really expensive treasure.” Another giggle, but this time, Linebeck didn’t have the weird feeling, ears perking up at the word treasure. “ But I thought, after my earlier blunder, I thought I should get the most knowledgeable guy in the sea to make sure.” 

 

Linebeck puffed up at her words. “Preen those features a bit more, Sparkles, and I might forget about the navigation error. And damn right I know my treasure.” He said. Linebeck started to stand up, but then suddenly realized something. “ _ Wait… Wasn’t Sparkles putting the kid to bed along with the two other puffballs?”  _

 

Another peal of giggles, which Linebeck finally located to be coming from the side of the ship. “Silly, it’s been hours since I put the little guy to bed. I’ve done some exploring since then.” 

 

Linebeck paused, then shrugged. “Alright, makes sense.” He walked to the end of the ship, looking over. 

 

A petite blond woman stood on the rocks, her dress fluttering in the small breeze, waves occasionally washing over the rocks and her bare feet. A pair of golden wings fluttered, almost translucent to the captain’s eyes. 

 

Linebeck stared at Ciela for a long moment, before unfurling the rope ladder. He must have already drank too much to ever think that she was a small fairy. 

 

He splashed into the warm water, not bothering about his boots and pants getting soaked from the water. When he reached the rocks, Ciela was already by the small palm tree. She waved for the captain to continue following her. Linebeck grinned, stumbling into the sand, and upward to the tree. 

 

Somehow, she was already gone again when Linebeck reached the tree. Linebeck looked down, and spotted her standing in the waist high water, dress bellowing around her in the water. One hand was outstretched, a clear invitation for the captain. 

 

Linebeck hastily made his way to Ciela, quickly taking her offered hand. “So, where is this treasure?” 

 

“Right here.” The fairy said, running a hand down Linebeck’s face, before drawing him in for a kiss. 

 

**…**

 

Ciela flew out of the porthole and onto the deck, wanting to ask Linebeck if he got any closer to finding out where the hell they got off to. 

 

Instead, she found the abandoned pieces of the map fluttering in the wind under small rocks acting as paper weights so the map wouldn’t flutter away and no captain in sight. 

 

“ _ The hell? _ ” Ciela thought. “ _ I leave him alone for a moment and he disappears.”  _ At that moment, Ciela hear the rope ladder gently smacking against the side of the ship. She frowned at the object. 

 

“Seriously, you went treasure hunting in the middle of the night, and,“ she glanced behind her to be sure. “Yup, you went without a lantern. Honestly, Moron, I don’t understand how you survived this long without us.” 

 

Ciela darted off the side of the ship, flying up high so she could see the whole scope of the island, so she would be able to find her fool of a captain quickly. 

 

A bit of movement caught her eye and Ciela started to fly closer, already beginning to form her reprimand in her head before suddenly drawing up short as she realized what exactly she was seeing.  

 

“Aw, what in Oshus's name?” Ciela muttered. 

 

Linebeck was making out with what was none other than a bigger version of herself. Who, by the way, was slowly but surely leading the captain into deeper waters. They separated, but Linebeck quickly drew in the double for another kiss. 

 

“Oh, for the love of the Ocean King.” Ciela groaned, starting to pinch the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes in understanding. “Of course we have  _ sirens _ on this island.” Then suddenly it occurred to her the danger Linebeck was in, eyes flying wide. 

 

“Ah shit! Sirens!” 

 

Ciela sped for the pair, giving it her all to grab onto Linebeck’s stupid ponytail and yank his head backwards, away from the siren’s. 

 

Linebeck yelped, swatting one of his hands behind him. “What the hell, Ciela, did you see what grabbed me?” 

 

“It wasn’t anything, Linebeck.” Siren Ciela said, again grabbing Linebeck to lead him back out of the water. 

 

Ciela growled audibly, before leaping front of Linebeck’s face, spinning him around. “It was me, you Moron!” 

 

Linebeck blinked, the glazed look in his eyes starting to fade with Ciela’s golden glow lighting up his face. “Wait… Sparkles…” His hand started letting go of the siren’s hand and staring at the real fairy. 

 

The siren gave off a shriek and lunged for Linebeck, giving up on re-seducing him, and going straight for the drowning. Linebeck barely got a chance to register what was happening before he felt the siren’s surprisingly strong arms wrapping around his neck and yanking him backwards into the deeper waters. All he got out was a sharp yelp before the waters closed over him. 

 

Ciela swore, and once again flew toward the captain. She reached down and touched one of the stones embedded into her belt, beginning to yell aloud a spell in ancient Terminain. “ _ You’re gonna owe me BIG time for this, moron. _ ” was her last thought before she flew into the water with a splash. Where she disappeared, the water flashed gold. 

 

For Linebeck, things got very confusing, very fast and also very dangerous as sea water soon filled his nose, mouth and vision, his panic only increasing. 

 

He soon felt two pairs of hands grabbing at him, but due to his lost sense of direction, he couldn’t be sure if one was pulling him up, or down, or if another siren decided to join. 

 

Finally one set let go as the other gave one last pull. Linebeck felt a hand breech the surface of the water, and soon after this, the other pair of hands let go of him. 

 

Linebeck only reacted on instinct after this, beginning to kick for what he hoped would be land.

 

Thankfully, due to divine intervention it seemed like, Linebeck broke the surface of the water, staggering forward on all fours in the shallow waves, coughing the sea water harshly from his throat. He ignored the sounds of splashing behind him, grabbing the side of an old rowboat, wrecked on the shore, and pushing himself upright on shaky legs. 

 

There was still splashing behind him, but it ceased dramatically when Linebeck stood. Unsure what he was going to find, Linebeck took a breath and turned around. 

 

And then immediately began pondering the series of events that lead him into the mess where two identical Cielas now stood in the water, standing a bit apart from each other, still eyeing the other hostilely. 

 

Linebeck froze, muttering aloud an “oh no.” 

 

“I’m sure you’ll be able to figure this out, and pick the  _ real _ Ciela.” The Ciela on the right said, giving an encouraging look, before looking very threatening. “Because if you don’t then I’m going to break your legs.” 

 

“Don’t you ‘oh no’ at this!” You got us into this mess, and so you’re gonna get us out of it!” One Ciela snapped, placing her hands on her hips. 

 

“Now really, Linebeck, obviously it was the  _ siren’s  _ fault that got us into this mess.” The first Ciela stated, flinging out her arm to be pointing at the second Ciela, turning her threatening gaze to glare at her. 

 

Second Ciela’s mouth dropped open. “My fault?  _ My fault?” _ She screeched, eyes livid. She went for the first Ciela’s throat, fingers quite close to clawing out the other’s eyes. 

 

The first Ciela swung up her hands, eyes going wide with fear as she grabbed onto second Ciela’s wrists. “Linebeck, help me!” She yelped, twisting the other Ciela’s arms, struggling to keep them away from her face.  

 

“Oh hell no, Moron, you better stay the fuck out of this while I claw this bitch’s eyes out!” Ciela snapped. “And besides, I can handle myself!” 

 

The two women grappled with each other in the water, an almost even match. Slowly but surely, though, the second Ciela’s hands were inching closer and closer to the first Ciela’s neck. 

 

Just when she just about had her fingers to it, there was a sharp “whap!” and the first Ciela went crashing into the water. Behind her stood Linebeck, holding up an oar he saw in the rotting rowboat. 

 

The second Ciela, the real Ciela, stumbled forward, losing her balance. Crashing right into Linebeck, she looked up at him, incredulous look in her eyes.

 

“How did you know?!” She immediately demanded, quickly finding her feet and brushing off Linebeck’s steadying hand on her upper arm. 

 

“It kept calling me Linebeck.” The captain simply stated, looking uneasily down at where the siren disappeared into the water, keeping a tight grip on his oar. 

 

A wise move, as a few feet away, in the more deeper waters, the siren reemerged with an enraged shriek. Blond hair turned a dark, shiny green, her fingers became webbed, and her skin turned a sickly pale green, patches of scales covering her body. Her pupils were blown out, turning them entirely black and thick, inky looking blood dribbled from the side of her head. She bared her pearly white fangs, giving off a thick hiss, before lunging for the pair. 

 

Linebeck gave off a girlish shriek and swung the oar again, sending the siren snapping back to crash once more back into the water. 

 

Wasting no time, Linebeck dropped the oar and grabbed Ciela’s wrists, roughly dragging her out of the water and across the rocks to return to the ship. 

 

They ran full tilt into the water, grappling both for the rope ladder strung on the side. Ciela won, quickly pulling herself up and over the railing, Linebeck following suit.  

 

They laid, breathing heavily, on the deck for a few moments. 

  
  
“Do you think we need to move the ship?” Linebeck wheezed out. 

 

As if to answer his question, the ship gave off a few shudders, while low thunks were heard. 

 

“Do you want to be drowned by sirens?!” Ciela hissed, rolling up to jump onto her feet. Her eyes flashed at Linebeck, rivaling lightning bolts in their intensity. 

 

“The sass is not needed.” 

 

“I just had to save your ass from a siren,  _ with my face, might I add! _ So yes, the sass is entirely needed!” 

  
  
There were several more thunks and shudders from the ship’s hull. Ciela and Linebeck froze in their bickering, giving wide glaces to each other. 

  
  
“You get the kid awake, if he’s not already due to the she-beasts. I’ll get the ship started.” Linebeck ordered with a grunt, finally rolling to his feet, much less graceful than Ciela. 

 

“Screw that, you know Link sleeps like the dead. There’s no way I’ll be able to wake him.” Ciela said, already starting to head toward the helm. 

 

Linebeck swung out an arm, catching Ciela by her right upper arm, ignoring her yelp of pain. “Oh, no. No. No. No. No way. You are not driving my ship into a fucking reef-” Another shudder ran through the ship, this time knocking the pair off balance. Ciela yanked her arm out of Linebeck’s grip with a sharp hiss, still turning for the helm. 

 

Linebeck swore. “Fine. Fine! Take the helm… Just do your best and don't hurt my ship.”

 

Ciela flew to the helm, while Linebeck ran into the engine room, practically sliding to a stop in front of the  _ S.S. Linebeck _ ’s engines, quickly getting her going. All the while, Linebeck muttered under his breath about the situation. 

 

Only when the island was a tiny speck in the distance, did the thumps finally cease. Linebeck kept the ship going a few more knots, calling out directions to the now life sized fairy at the helm. He had to admit, she picked up the sailing process rather quickly. Must have been because of how she’s hanging out on Link’s shoulder all the time when he’s sailing. 

 

When he thought they were safe, Linebeck dropped anchor into the waters. Safer to be on an island, but it wasn’t like they had much choice. He still had no idea where they were, and anchoring in the middle of the ocean was a lot better than letting a ship be pushed around the currents. 

 

He let go of one of the handles, and was suddenly alarmed to see it covered in blood. Looking to his hand, he saw it stained with it, already turning dark as it dried. After a quick checkover himself, seeing that he was not the one bleeding, his thoughts turned to Ciela.

 

Linebeck walked out onto the deck, immediately spotting Ciela slumped over the helm, and still hylian sized. Hearing a strange splattering sound, Linebeck looked to the deck by Ciela’s feet. He spotted several dime sized droplets of dark liquid scattered on the deck. Looking back up, he let’s out a low hiss at suddenly seeing four long gashes in Ciela’s upper arm. 

 

The blood was smeared around, and Linebeck suddenly recalled Ciela’s yelp of pain when he grabbed her. “Shit, Sparkles, your arm.” He grimaced, walking closer to her. 

 

Ciela groggily lifted up her head, looking to her right arm. Linebeck didn’t like the glazed look in her eyes as she took in her wound, as if it was just a scratch and not something she could bleed out from. “Well, shit indeed.” Ciela echoed, voice low. 

 

Linebeck cocked one eyebrow at her. “You’re awfully relaxed about bleeding out.” 

 

“I have a lot to process tonight.” Ciela went to drop her head back over the helm. At that moment, her knees buckled slightly. In trying to catch herself, the spirit started falling to one side as the helm shifted after being jostled. 

 

Almost without thinking, Linebeck sprung for Ciela, gently catching her and maneuvering her to be leaning against his chest. He shifted them around, being mindful of her injured arm and much larger wings.

 

“What are you doing?” Ciela muttered, looking at Linebeck with suspicious eyes. It would have been threatening if Linebeck didn’t see how pale she already was, throwing her strawberry blonde hair into a shocking contrast with her skin. 

 

“I’m gonna patch you up and make sure you don’t die on me. Honestly, you’re acting as bad at Link when he’s injured.” Linebeck griped. He honestly wondered why his crewmates never seemed to want to be patched up. He began leading Ciela into the ship and down to the medical bay. 

 

Ciela remained silent, allowing Linebeck to do so without comment. 

 

After settling her by a small table, Linebeck gathered up supplies. He took another seat next to Ciela, beginning to work on her arm, beginning to clean the surrounding skin with water, before soaking a different cloth damp with alcohol. 

 

When Linebeck wiped down Ciela’s wounds with the cloth, she hissed, reflexively trying to jerk her wrist out of Linebeck’s grip. He held fast, and with the next wipe, Ciela settled for curling her left hand into a fist and biting out a few choice curses. 

 

Again, Linebeck raised an eyebrow at Ciela.”You have quite the mouth on you. You speak that way around the kid?” 

 

“I try not to. Bad enough he has to deal with your sailor mouth.” Ciela gritted out through clenched teeth. “But if something slipped, well, normally I’m a lot smaller and, because of that, quieter.” 

 

Ciela tensed up again, before slowing releasing her breath. “Plus, I still got a shit ton to process after tonight’s event.”

 

“Like what?” Linebeck challenged, giving an appraising eye at Ciela’s upper arm. “Also, should I try dressing your arm, or will it shrink with you whenever you chose to finally shrink back to normal size?” 

 

“Well, I can’t. So there’s the first thing.” Ciela said. She looked to the side, expression sepulchral. Her wings dipped low, slowly opening and closing in response to her mood. 

 

Linebeck paused, before taking a breath. He reached into the medical box, bringing out a roll of bandages. “Alright… Why can’t you?” He cautiously asked, beginning to unravel the bandages. “Is it because your swiss cheese brain is kicking in?” 

 

Ciela leveled a glare at Linebeck, whipping her head back around. “Because I had to save your sorry ass from being drowned by a siren!” she snarled, lips curling up in her anger. “I was useless as a small fairy, so I had to go and  _ curse  _ myself to make myself bigger so I wouldn’t lose you!” 

 

In her anger, her wings beat furiously behind her, lifting her off the bench a tiny bit. After a few moments, the anger bled from her just as quickly. Ciela settled back onto her chair, swallowing roughly as she resumed looking away from Linebeck.

 

“It’s starts out making a spirit bigger. So we’re easier of a target to hit.”Ciela softly stated. “Then it starts taking away our abilities. It can't take away my spirit powers, since those are granted to me by a god. No curse can take those from me. However... it will take away our natural powers, our flight… Eventually, we just end up as giant fairies with wings that can’t make us fly anymore. Powerless and helpless since most fairies don’t have a lick of sense how the normal world works. Most of the time… we die because we’re so helpless.”   

 

“ And no. Grandpa can’t reverse it.” She finished in a small, bitter, voice. Again her wings dipped low, not even moving this time. 

  
  
Linebeck swallowed a couple of times, his throat feeling pretty dry all of a sudden. Taking her arm in a tender manner, he began slowly wrapping her arm. Careful and dutiful in his work. 

 

“I appreciate what you did then.” Linebeck finally said, his voice even in tone. He kept his eyes firmly on Ciela’s upper arm. 

 

“What?” Ciela responded, her voice sounding thick with somber emotions. She again turned back to Linebeck, to stare at him.

 

“I’m saying thanks.” Linebeck reiterated, trying to keep his voice level and not snipe at Ciela, knowing the emotional turmoil brewing within her now. “You didn’t have to go and curse yourself, to save my sorry ass. Honestly, I’m surprised that you bothered at all. Thought you would have been happy with the chance of getting rid of me.” 

 

“Do you really think I hate you that much?” Ciela asked, her voice coming out in a distressed whisper. 

 

Linebeck kept working, his movements automatic. He slowed just a bit, to look up at Ciela’s eyes. He was rather taken aback by the wounded expression shining in her golden eyes. He couldn’t tell if she was tearing up at the pain or his words, and Linebeck didn’t want to think about that little fact anymore than he had to. He dropped his gaze back to his hands, giving off a small sigh. 

 

“Understand this, if we had gotten out of any other kind of situation, I would have said yes.” He thinned his lips, wondering why he was suddenly acting all emotional toward Ciela. “But no. I don’t think you actually hate me.” 

 

Ciela let out a shaky breath, feeling a ball of tension suddenly unwind in her stomach. “Good, because… I don’t.” She shrugged her left shoulder, being mindful of Linebeck wrapping up her right arm. “Yeah, you bug the crap out of me, and I threaten you on a normal basis… But you’re the only one that treats me like I’m not some fragile piece of glass, ready to break apart at the slightest breath of wind. Hell, even Link does it sometimes, after my memories were regained.” 

 

“But you… You’ve made me feel… normal. Even when I was completely clueless as to who I was, and even after, nothing changed in our banter.” 

 

Linebeck gave a couple awkward coughs as his only response, steadfast in staring at his hands while he worked. 

 

Silence fell over the pair. 

 

Just as Linebeck finished tying off the wrappings, Ciela spoke again. Linebeck started picking up his pace in packing up the medical supplies. 

 

“Going back to the siren…” Ciela started, eyeing the way Linebeck was starting to quicken his movements. “Is there something you want, or need, to tell me?” 

 

Linebeck scoffed, trying to cover up him clearing his throat. He deliberately began slowing his actions, trying to not betray anything. “Why would that she-beast make it seem like I have something to tell you?” 

 

“She had my face.” Ciela began, running her fingers over her new bandage. 

 

“And?” 

 

“You do know what sirens are and what they do, right? You’re not that pathetic of a sailor.” 

 

“Excuse you, Sparkles, and yes. I  _ do _ know what sirens are and do, for your information.” 

 

“They drown sailors-”

 

“Using the faces of someone that you-” 

 

“Are romantically attracted to.” Ciela finished. Throughout the conversation, she moved from sitting to be standing behind Linebeck as he put away the last of the supplies. She gingerly crossed her arms, studying Linebeck’s reaction. 

 

The captain froze, hands suddenly locking on the lid of the medical box. “Must have missed that part.” He muttered, tips of his ears turning as red as his nose. 

  
  
“Linebeck.” 

  
  
Linebeck gave a heave of defeat, throwing his hands into the air, letting the lid of the medical box fall shut with a sharp clack. “Apparently, this is a night of confessions, but,  _ yes. _ I am  _ romantically attracted _ to you.” He began muttering loudly as he grabbed up the medical box. “Now you can go have a good ole laugh at how the great and mighty Linebeck, fell in love, with a fairy the size of his palm!” 

 

Linebeck tried to shove his way past Ciela, not looking at her in his efforts to stalk from the room in his embarrassment. To where, he wasn’t sure, there’s weren’t exactly a whole lot of spaces he could hide on the steam ship. 

 

Ciela grabbed his upper arm, making Linebeck pause in his steps. She reached up her other hand to grab his shoulder. Gently pulling on him, Ciela turned Linebeck to face her. Still, he stubbornly kept looking to one side, not wanting to see what he was sure to see shock and disgust on her face. 

  
  
Ciela pursed her lips, before moving one of her hands that was holding his arm. Taking him by the chin, she forced his head to line up with hers. With nothing else to do, Linebeck finally looked at Ciela. 

  
  
The spirit was looking at him with a mixture of shock and fondness. She trailed her hands up to be gently cupping his face, rubbing her thumb over his cheekbones. 

  
  
“You are  _ such _ a moron sometimes.” She said, giving a soft smile, shaking her head a tiny bit. 

  
  
“Wha-” 

  
  
Ciela placed a finger over Linebeck lips, shushing him gently. “Didn’t you hear a damn thing I said only a few minutes earlier? Honestly.” 

  
  
“Yeah, you annoy the shit of out me, and cause me to go into more tizzies than not but… but like I said. You have made me feel normal, when everyone else was treating me like glass. These past few months, I’ve learned more about you. You have patched Link up, every time that boy has come back injured. You would gripe about it and still do, but I listened to how the gripes changed from complaining about the medical supplies being expensive to saying that Link needs to be more careful out there, and really being worried about him and the fights he’s getting into.

  
  
“You could have forced us to find lodgings elsewhere when we’re docked on the islands, but instead, you wordlessly offered us your home as sanctuary, and not caring if we partly made it ours, outside of a few empty threats.” 

  
  
Ciela let out a rush of air, giving a disbelieving chuckle before looking Linebeck dead in the eye, her face turning serious.    


 

“I, for one, wouldn’t want any other captain by my side as we save the ocean.”  

 

For a endless moments after Ciela finished speaking, the pair remained frozen, Captain and Fairy only staring at each other. 

 

Then, all at once, Linebeck was kissing Ciela. 

  
  
Ciela made sound of shock and surprise, causing Linebeck to abruptly draw away. Before he could go too far, Ciela moved closer and pressed her lips against his. 

  
  
They kissed, lips moving together in passionnant, desperation. Both not quite sure how this happened, but not wanting to lose the moment, afraid that it would be lost forever. Linebeck raised up his hands that had been hanging by his sides, dropping the medical box. It fell to the floor with a clatter, but both Ciela and Linebeck ignored it in favor of each other. Linebeck wrapped one arm around Ciela’s waist, the other cradling her head, drawing out a more appreciative noise from Ciela. In return, Ciela slipped her hands from Linebeck’s cheeks to wrap loosely around his hips, drawing him closer to her.  

 

“Uhhh… Am I interrupting something?”

  
  
And like that, time returned back to the two. They separated to see Link standing in the doorway, sword in hand, an expression of shock on his face. Leaf and Neri hovered by his shoulders, illuminating his face in shades of red, blue and purple. 

  
  
“Go away you three, the grownups are having a private discussion.” Linebeck said, taking one arm to make a shooing motion at them. 

 

  
“I don’t think much was being discussed.” Link dryly replied, letting his sword drop to gently rest the tip on the floor.

 

“And Linebeck, Leaf and I are the same age as you.” Neri stated in a disbelieving tone. 

 

“Bah, irrelevant with you two being so small.” Linebeck retorted, looking away from the three. 

 

“Regardless of ages,” Ciela gently tugged herself out of Linebeck’s grip, looking to Link. “Is everything alright? Why do you have your sword?” 

  
  
“Uh, well, I think we should be asking you that.” Neri said. “We were woken up by sharp voices, and then a clatter. When we looked outside, we weren’t at the island anymore and Ciela, you were missing! I thought we had gotten boarded by pirates and you both had gotten taken hostage by them.” 

 

“We were gearing up for a fight.” Leaf chimed in. “We sneaked up to the deck, and found blood.”

  
  
“Instead, we’re just in the middle of the ocean, with Ciela now the size of a hylian, and hurt, so I guess that’s where the blood came from, and the both of you kissing.” Link spread his arms, voice taking on an inquiring tone. “What happened here?” 

 

Ciela and Linebeck looked to each other for a moment, trying to figure out what to say first. Then, they returned to be looking back at their crewmates, opening their mouths at the same time. 

  
  
“ _ Sirens.”  _

 

**The End**


End file.
